By PAULENE POPARAD

What housing slump?

The Chesterton Advisory Plan Commission will undertake initial concept review Thursday for Duneland Trails subdivision at the northwest corner of South Fifth Street and County Road 1050N. Both a preliminary and a public hearing would be set in the future.

The petitioner is Tom Cahillane; the single-family development would have 42 lots, according to town planner Steve Yagelski.

The commission meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the town hall, 790 Broadway, with a preliminary hearing for the mixed-use, 39-acre Springdale subdivision in the Crocker neighborhood on 1050N one block east of State Road 149. Its 75 lots would include 48 single-family homes, 46 living units as paired-patio homes and commercial parcels for future development with voluntary use restrictions.

Springdale would lie to the west of residential Abercrombie Woods and to the east of an industrial complex and serve as an infill buffer between both. Springdale also would bring municpal water, sanitary sewers and storm sewers closer to the original Crocker-area homes.

Springdale’s planned unit development (PUD) ordinance was approved late last year by both the commission and the Town Council. The project now returns to the commission for final platting including a future public hearing.

During a Nov. 15 hearing on the PUD, six remonstrators questioned Springdale’s drainage plans, traffic impact and the prospect that future commercial uses might sell alcohol across from the Crocker Bible Church, the latter located on the north side of 1050N. At that time Springdale developer Larry Wright said he had the utmost respect for the church.

Also on the commission agenda is an undisclosed proposed amendment to the Springdale PUD ordinance.

In other business, possibly addressed will be the often-continued public hearing on expanded residential development at Sand Creek in Phases 6 and 7; a proposal could be presented under new business delegating the commission’s secondary, or final, plat approval power to town staff.

Because Thursday is the commission’s first meeting of 2008, new members will be welcomed and election of officers will take place.

Due to a lack of business, the Jan. 24 meeting of the Chesterton Board of Zoning Appeals has been canceled.

Posted 1/16/2008